bagnell



Original Filed May 3, 1952 2 Sheets-Sheet l QFHQI' INVENTOR, E0698 ((1.SHEA/Ell Feb. 14, 1956 E. WxBAGNELL 2,734,582

PACKER CONSTRUCTION Original Filed May 5, 1952 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 i I 49506 39 a/ l s e A fizz BY 5 m (M4 $440144, flk EG.5

PACKER CONSTRUCTION Edgar W. Bagnell, Glendale, Calif., assignor toJohnston Testers, Inc., Houston, Tex., a corporation of Delaware 4Claims. (Cl. 166-187) This invention relates to a packer for oil welltools, and the present application is co-pending with and forms adivision of my prior application entitled, Wire Line Tester, Serial No.285,981, filed May 3, 1952.

It is a principal object of the present invention to provide a packerhaving an expansible packer sleeve and contrivances at the ends of thepacker sleeve to limit end bulging of said sleeve; to provide such apacker equipped with a rigid core for partially controlling the mannerof expansion thereof; and to provide such a packer adapted to beexpanded hydraulically.

It is another object of the present invention to provide a tool equippedwith the above-described packer and adapted to be supported from astring of drill pipe or a wire line.

Various other objects of the present invention will be apparent from thefollowing description taken in connection with the accompanyingdrawings, in which:

Fig. 1 discloses a portion of an oil well tool having a pair of packersembodying the concepts of the present invention carried thereby.

Fig. 2 is an enlarged vertical sectional view of the upper packerdisclosed in Fig. 1, showing the packer in its collapsed position.

Fig. 3 is a view similar to Fig. 2 but showing the packer after it hasbeen expanded.

Fig. 4 is a horizontal sectional view taken along line 4-4 of Fig. 2.

Fig. 5 is a horizontal sectional view taken along line 5-5 of Fig. 3.

Fig. 6 is a still further enlarged fragmentary sectional view of asingle flexible end shell, more particularly showing the construction ofsuch shell.

Referring to the accompanying drawings wherein similar referencecharacters designate similar parts throughout, Fig. 1 shows,fragmentarily, a tool generally entitled 11, the detailed constructionof which is not of importance to the present invention. Actually, theportion of the tool disclosed is a somewhat schematic illustration of aportion of my Wire Line Tester disclosed in my copending applicationabove identified. A number of the parts of the tool disclosed in Fig. 1have been simplfied in an effort to emphasize the novel construction ofthe packer of the present invention.

The portion of the tool disclosed in Fig. 1 includes a top packer head13 connected to a central packer head 15 by a tubular mandrel 17, thecentral packer head being connected to a lower packer head 19 by a lowertubular mandrel 21. The upper packer head is connected by a sub or pipesection 23 to the upper part of the tool, while the lower packer headhas suspended therefrom a pipe section 25.

Surrounding mandrel 17 is a packer generally entitled 27 and surroundingmandrel 21 is a packer generally entitled 29 identical in constructionto packer 27. Only the upper packer 27 will be described in detail.

Packer 27 includes an expansible elastomer sleeve 31 containing a rigidannular core 3 mounted by frictional nited States Patent 0 engagement onthe exterior of the mandrel 17. Sleeve 31 tightly grips the exterior ofmandrel 17 by means of annular sharp edged lips 35 formed on said sleeveand extending toward one another. Lips 35 prevent the escape ofhydraulic fluid between the ends of the packer sleeve and mandrel 17.Core 33 is interiorly fluted to allow fluid to pass between the coreinterior and mandrel 17 to the ends of the core and into the spaces 39formed in the end of sleeve 31.

Sleeve 31 is medially thickened, as indicated at 60, to provide thinends indicated at 61 which first expand for a purpose to be presentlydescribed.

At each end of sleeve 31 and surrounding mandrel 17 are a plurality ofannular superimposed or nested expandable shells 41 embracing saidsleeve ends and normally assuming collapsed position as shown in Fig. 2.These shells are formed of a material of a less expansible nature thanthat of which the sleeve 31 is formed, and preferably are formed of anelastomer impregnated fabric. As shown in Fig. 6, each shell preferablyincludes several elastomer impregnated fabric pieces 43 of differentdiameters bonded together to provide a thick inner portion for the shelland a thin outer portion.

The opposed faces of the upper and central packer heads are formed toconverge in directions away from each other to provide backing faces 47and 49 for limiting expansion of shells 41. Each shell 41 has anexpanded diameter greater than that of the well bore into which the toolis lowered for a purpose which will presently appear.

As is apparent from Fig. 2, when the packer is in its collapsed positionthe shells 41 at each end of the packer sleeve curve away from theassociated faces 47 and 49 of the upper and lower packer heads,therefore allowing the shells to be expanded toward the walls of thewell bore for a considerable degree before fully encountering backingfaces 47 and 49.

For expanding packers 27 and 29, fluid within mandrels 17 and 21 isforced by any suitable means through ports 51 formed in the mandrelsinto the interiors of the packer sleeves causing them to expand from theposition shown in Fig. 2 to the position shown in Fig. 3 away from theircores.

During the expansion of the packer sleeves, the thin ,ends thereofexpand first and bulge in an axial direction to cause expansion ofexpandable shells 41 so that the outer radial portions of the shells areforced axially away from one another, which movement obviously causes aradial expansion of said shells into engagement with the walls of thewell bore as clearly shown in Fig. 3, and also into full engagement withbacking faces 47 and 49, which action limits further axial movement ofthe major portions of said shells. Since the expanded diameter of eachshell is greater than the diameter of the Well bore, it is apparent thatthe outer margins of the shells are packed against the walls of the wellbore and prevent further end bulging of the elastomer packer sleeves.The collapsed and expanded positions of the packer sleeves are shown inFigs. 4 and 5, respectively.

The tubes 53 and 55, shown in Fig. 1 and partially in Figs. 2 and 3,form parts of the particular tool disclosed in my co-pending applicationpreviously identified and are included herein merely to enable acomparison of the structure disclosed herein with that disclosed in myprior co-pending application, and perform no function in the presentinvention. Mandrels 17 and 21 have the interiors thereof communicatingwith one another through a tubular member 53, the internal constructionof which is not particularly important to the present invention.

By the present invention the use of a relatively thin wall expansiblepacker sleeve has been made practicable because of the provision of arigid annular core contained within the sleeve and flexible end shellsdisposed exteriorly and at the ends of the packer sleeve, said corefunctioning to sustain the general form of the sleeve, and said endshells functioning to prevent rupture of said sleeve. This sleeve designobviously eifects a saving of rubber. Furthermore, .a thin wall packersleeve can be more readily expanded than a thick wall sleeve, and can beexpanded to av greater degreethan. a thick wall sleeve without danger ofrupture. Also, whenrunning in a well, the annular core prevents thehydrostatic head in the well from collapsing the packer sleeve, whichcollapse would build up the pressure of the hydraulic fluid within thetool and cause premature opening of the test valve employed in a testersuch as disclosed in my co-pending application previously identified.The core also partially controls the manner of expansion of the packersleeve to prevent uncontrolled and erratic expansion thereof. It isapparent that the above advantageous operating and design featureslengthen the life of a packer sleeve, enabling it to beused .over andover again.

Although the invention has been described in connection with expanding,the packers into engagement with the walls of a wellbore, it isapparent that the packers are equally adaptable 'for expansion intoengagement with the walls of a casing, pipe or other tubular member.

While I have shown the preferred form of my invention, it is to beunderstood that various changes may be made in its construction by thoseskilled in the art without departing from the spirit of the invention asdefined in the appended claims.

. Havingthus described my invention, what I claim and desire to secureby"Letters'Patent is:

l. A device of the class described, comprising a mandrel, an expansiblepacker sleeve on the mandrel, a rigid annular core mounted on themandrel within the sleeve, the ends of said core being spaced interiorlyfrom the ends of said sleeve, a lateral port in said mandrel adjaeentthe mid-portion of said core, longitudinal passageways between said coreand said mandrel connecting said port with the ends of said core, andwell bore wall-engaging means on the mandrel external of and inengagement with one end of the packer sleeve normally contracted intoposition spacedfrom the walls of a well bore but being expanded uponexpansion of the packer sleeve to engage-the walls of the well here andlimit end expansion of said one end of said sleeve, said port andpassageways constituting means for conducting fluid under pressure tothe interior of the annular core and around the ends thereof into thesleeve to-expand the same.

2. A device of the .class described comprising a mandrel, an expansiblepacker sleeve on the mandrel, expansible means engaging one end of thepacker sleeve for limiting end movement of said one end of said packersleeve, a rigid annular core disposed on said mandrel within the packersleeve for preventing collapse of the sleeve, longitudinal groovesformed on the interior of said core having ends communicating with saidsleeve, and means defining a port forconducting fluid under pressurefrom the mandrelinto said grooves for discharge through said groovesin'said core and around the ends thereof into the ends of the sleeve toexpand the same away from said core into engagement with the wall of thewell bore.

3. A device of the class described comprising a mandrel,. an expansiblepacker sleeve on the mandrel, a plurality of nesting concave elastomerimpregnated fabric expansible shells on the mandrel external of and inengagement with one end of the sleeve, a plurality of nesting concaveelastomer impregnated fabric expansible shells on the mandrel externalof and in engagement with the other end of the sleeve,.expansible uponand by expansion. of said sleeve to engage the Walls of a well boreand'limit end expansion of said sleeve, there being a pair of rigidenlargements on the mandrel, one of said enlargements at the side of-oneset of the shells remote from said sleevesan'd the other at'the side ofthe other set of shells remote from said sleeve for'limiting expansionof the shells, said enlargements having opposed frustoconical faces, arigid annular core mounted onthe man- 'drel within the sleeve, and meansfor conducting fiuid pressure through and around the ends of said coreto the interior of the sleeve to expand the sleeve into engagement withthe walls of a well bore.

4. -A device of the class described comprising a mandrel,.an expansiblepacker sleeve on the mandrel, means for expanding, said sleeve, and aplurality of nesting concave elastomer impregnated 'fabric expansibleshells of different diametersion the mandrel external of and inengagement with one end of the sleeve expansible upon and'by expansionof said sleeve to engage the walls of a well bore and ,limit endexpansion of said sleeve, there being a rigid enlargement on the mandrelat the side of the shells remote from said sleeve'for limiting expansionof the shells.

References Cited in the file of this patent M we

